Why I will never patronize Circle K again

I had a terrible experience today at the Circle K gas station at the corner of 75th Avenue and Glendale Avenue in Glendale, AZ. So terrible that I'm blogging it, yelping it, facebooking it, and tweeting it. (Even though I'm normally a pretty laid back person and would usually just tell my cat about it and then brush it off.)

This afternoon, on my way to an appointment, I stopped for gas. I pulled up to the pump, turned off my car, and put my card in the reader. I got an error message on the card reader, so I went inside to pay. I explained to the clerk that the card reader at pump 6 wasn't working. She glared at me and said, "Yes it is."

I explained in detail the error message I got, and she glared at me again and asked me how much gas I wanted. I said $40. She swiped my card, printed the receipt, and handed it to me with a pen to sign the receipt. [Note: At reputable and professional gas stations, the signing of the receipt happens at the end of the transaction, after the exact total is known, and the credit card is held by the clerk during the pumping. I have never seen shady behavior like this before.] I explained that I hadn't purchased the gas yet. She said that I had just bought it.

I was uncomfortable with this, so I asked for the transaction to be canceled. She refused to do so and said that once she swiped the card, the transaction was final. I said that it couldn't be final because I hadn't signed the receipt yet. She glared at me again and said that my card was going to be charged regardless. So, since I wanted my gas, I signed the receipt, placed the receipt and the blue ballpoint pen on the counter, and went outside to fill up.

When I got to the pump, it didn't work. I tried a second time, and it still didn't work. So, I went back inside. The clerk said, "I had to cancel the transaction because you hurt me." I asked her what she meant by that. She held up a black ballpoint pen that had been cleanly removed from its outer casing and said that I had thrown the pen at her and broken it. This was a bald-faced lie.

I asked to speak to her manager, and a woman who was standing next to her identified herself as the manager and said that she had reviewed the security tapes and backed up the clerk. Mind you, I was outside for 45 seconds. It would have been impossible to review the security tapes in that time period. The "manager" (whom I suspect was merely a co-worker) said that she could not sell me gas.

I was running late, so I didn't call her on it. I told her that she had permanently lost a customer, and I went on my (not so) merry way. The "manager" wished me a nice day in a tone of voice that really meant "f--- you!"

After my appointment, I stopped at a Fry's gas station, had a perfectly painless and professional experience, and saved $0.26 per gallon.

To top the whole experience off, I just logged into my credit card account, and the Circle K station charged my card for $40 worth of gas that I didn't get. This station is a ripoff. I wonder how many other people they've tried this scheme on and gotten away with.

Update 5/3/14: My credit card company had my back. I was able to get the charge reversed. So, now I've been made financially whole. I still won't give Circle K any of my business. But Fry's and Chase came out of this situation looking good.

Flying on a shoestring budget

I'm still here! I moved to Phoenix a week and a half ago, and I ended up having to take a quick unplanned trip out of town a few days ago. It would have been a 10 hour drive (each way) or a 1.5 hour flight. Allegiant had a cheap enough flight, even at the last-minute, that I opted for flying. I was a bit hesitant to fly on a discount airline, but the regular airlines were way too expensive due to the short notice.

I flew out of the Mesa airport, which is 45 minutes from my apartment. (Phoenix is 30, so it's not appreciably further.) Long-term parking is only $6 per day, which is a bargain. I got through security in under a minute. The airport has a courtyard separating one half of the terminal from the other half. My gate was on the other side of the courtyard, so I got some fresh air on my way to the gate. There was a gray cat walking along the grass chasing birds. I stopped to pet the cat, and an airport employee walked by and said that the cat was the airport cat. I didn't catch the cat's name, though.

Allegiant charges for everything, so be sure to read the fine print. Checked bags cost money, which is to be expected. What isn't to be expected is that carry-on bags cost money, too. I was able to cram everything into my "purse" (really a large shoulder bag), so I didn't have to pay for carry on luggage. Also, they board an hour before the flight instead of the standard 20-30 min, so be sure to leave extra time. If you pick your seat, that costs extra, too. I opted for the free version where the airline assigned my seat. I ended up being assigned a middle seat both ways, but on the return flight, there was an empty seat next to me, so I moved into the aisle seat. Snacks and beverages cost extra, too, so I brought my own. The lavatory is free, though!

I'll probably fly on Allegiant again. By giving up the frills, I saved about $120 over a full-service airline. I'll check back to see if it's still appreciably cheaper when I book in advance, and if it is, that's how I'm getting home for Thanksgiving. (Probably not for Christmas, though, since baggage fees will likely eat up any savings.)